1021 Dulaney Valley Road
Baltimore, MD 21204
Sarah T. Hughes Field Politics Center
Julia Rogers Building G32
www.goucher.edu/hughescenter
Twitter: @GoucherPoll
Newsletter Of The
SARAH T. HUGHES
FIELD POLITICS CENTER
Spring 2014
Director: Mileah Kromer, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Political Science
mileah.kromer@goucher.edu
Newsletter Editor: Olivia Shestopal ’15
Inside
Giving Marylanders a Voice
By Olivia Shestopal ’15
1
Giving Marylanders a Voice
2
From the Director
3Hughes Coffee/Supper Clubs
Upcoming Hughes Center 3
Events
Maryland Park Service
5Collaboration
6Model United States Senate
7Summer Internship Spotlight
Goucher Poll student supervisors (from left: Ben Crosby ’15, Olivia Shestopal ’15, Jen Pelizza ’15, and Chris Nobriga ’15) with
director Mileah Kromer
From gambling to fracking and from gay
marriage to gun control, the Goucher Poll has
given Maryland citizens the opportunity to
have their voices heard on the most important
issues facing the state.
phones, the poll draws upon a random sample
of Maryland citizens to gauge perceptions
about important policy, social, and economic
issues. For full Goucher Poll results and press
releases, visit www.goucher.edu/hughescenter.
The Goucher Poll is conducted once every
semester in a 40-station, computer-aided
telephone interviewer (CATI) lab. Using a
sample of landlines and cell
In addition to these topics, last semester
the Goucher Poll also collaborated with the
Maryland Park Service to conduct a project
that gauged residents’ perceptions of state
parks in Maryland.
Here are some of the poll’s media mentions
from the last year:
“Giving Marylanders a Voice,” continued on page 4
1
From the Director
Members of the Goucher Community:
T
his has truly been an exciting time
for the Sarah T. Hughes Field Politics
Center. As you may have heard, the
Sarah T. Hughes Field Politics Center
began conducting the Goucher Poll in October
2012.
The Goucher Poll surveys citizens across
Maryland on the most important political,
social, and economic issues of the day. The
entire survey operation is housed in the
beautifully renovated Julia Rogers Building on
the Goucher College campus.
Why a poll?
My love of public opinion surveys stems
directly from a passionate belief in
representative democracy. For policymakers
to reflect the will of the people, they must be
informed by the opinion of the citizenry. I
believe that public opinion polls—specifically
those like the Goucher Poll—provide an
important linkage between citizen opinion and
governance. It is my hope that the work done
at the Hughes Center can instill this belief in
democratic governance through the incredible
teaching tool that is a fully funded, on-campus
polling center.
Nearly every state across the country has
a college- or university-based poll. These
survey organizations help promote democratic
values and improve public discourse in their
respective states. Until last year, no college or
university in Maryland regularly conducted a
poll of state citizens. Goucher College has now
filled that void with the Goucher Poll, giving
Maryland citizens the opportunity to voice
their opinions on important issues facing the
state.
Since its inception, the Goucher Poll results
have been featured in prominent news
sources such as The Washington Post,
The Baltimore Sun, WYPR 88.1 FM, and
Maryland Public Television. We have laid
important groundwork over the past year and
look forward to developing the most cited
and respected source for public opinion in
Maryland.
Outside of the Goucher Poll, I have worked to
use the Hughes Center to build community
Student surveyor Alex Feith ’14 gets some additional training from Director Mileah Kromer during the October 2013 Goucher Poll.
2 - Newsletter of the Sarah T. Hughes Field Politics Center
and engagement among our undergraduate
students. Last fall, the center began hosting
the monthly Hughes Coffee Club for political
science and international relations majors
and minors. Additionally, the Hughes Center
held our first Hughes Supper Club, where we
hosted Goucher alumnus and Maryland State
Delegate John Olszewski, Jr. (D-Baltimore
County).
While a newsletter cannot fully convey the hard
work, dedication, and growth that the Hughes
Center has exhibited since my appointment as
director, I do hope it gives you a sense of what
we’ve been up to! I’m constantly impressed
by the caliber and passion of our Goucher
undergrads and am proud to be working with
them to build a stronger, more dynamic Sarah
T. Hughes Field Politics Center.
If you have any questions concerning our
operations, or just want more information,
feel free to contact me at mileah.kromer@
goucher.edu.
Sincerely,
Mileah Kromer, Ph.D.
Director, Sarah T. Hughes Field Politics Center
Hughes Coffee/Supper Clubs
By Chris Nobriga ’15
A group of student poses with guest of honor Maryland State Delegate John Olszewski, Jr. (D-Baltimore County) at a Hughes Supper Club meeting last semester.
E
ach month, starting in Fall 2012, the
Hughes Center hosts an informal
meeting so students and faculty can
have coffee and build community.
The Hughes Coffee Clubs gives students a
venue to interact with professors outside of
the classroom in a more social setting. These
gatherings are conducive to discussing how
we, as students and professors, can channel
our passion for politics into an effective
mechanism for change in society. Plus, the
meetings have been a great way to meet other
students interested in politics.
The Hughes Supper Club is a chance for
faculty and students to enjoy conversation over
a homemade meal. Last semester, the Hughes
Center invited Maryland State Delegate John
A. Olszewski Jr. (D-Baltimore County) to
join students and faculty for dinner. Delegate
Olszewski, a Goucher alumnus, spoke of
his experience in the Student Government
Association at Goucher, where he served as
SGA president his sophomore year. He
discussed how his experiences at Goucher and
in SGA have shaped the way he represents his
district in the Maryland House of Delegates.
The opportunity to meet and speak to Delegate
Olszewski gave us the chance to see how
a Goucher graduate is using his skills and
expertise to help serve and represent the
Goucher community and Maryland.
Both the Hughes Coffee Club and the Hughes
Supper Club are welcome additions to our
community!
Upcoming Hughes Center Events
Goucher Poll
Check www.goucher.edu/hughescenter for results from the March
2014 poll.
The Model Senate
Goucher’s team will be competing in the 43rd Annual Model U.S.
Senate at Stetson University in Deland, FL, March 13-15.
Goucher will host the High School Model Senate Conference on
November 8.
Hughes Coffee Club
Monday, March 10, at 3:15 p.m.
Tuesday, May 6, at 8:45 a.m.
Both meetings take place in Julia Rogers Building G27. If you
are interested in joining us for coffee, contact Mileah Kromer at
mileah.kromer@goucher.edu.
Hughes Supper Club
Thursday, April 10, at 6 p.m.
Buchner Hall of the Alumnae/i House
We are pleased to announce that Blue Water Baltimore’s Halle Van
der Gaag ’93, executive director, and Debra Lenik ’10, volunteer
manager, will be joining us for dinner. Blue Water Baltimore is
a nonprofit working to restore the quality of Baltimore’s rivers,
streams, and harbor to foster a healthy environment, a strong
economy, and thriving communities.
3
“Giving Marylanders a Voice,” continued from cover
Topics from the Goucher Poll this
year included:
•
Gay marriage
•
Gambling
•
Immigration and the Dream Act
•
State spending
•
Hydraulic fracturing
•
Transportation funding and speed
cameras
•
Gubernatorial candidates
•
Federal sequester
•
Affordable Care Act
•
Death penalty
•
Government shutdown
•
Gun control
•
Marijuana legalization
A group of student surveyors at work on the October 2013 Goucher Poll in the new lab in Julia Rogers Building G01.
November 15, 2014
November 6, 2014
March 13, 2013
State Circle: Statewide Issues
Poll: Brown Has Name Recognition Edge in
Gov’s Race
MD Republicans may not try referendum to
save death penalty
An article published in Baltimore Magazine
cites results from the Goucher Poll to highlight
the fact that gubernatorial candidate Anthony
Brown has higher name recognition than his
opponents.
An article in The Washington Times cites
Goucher Poll results that show 51 percent of
Maryland voters are opposed to ending the
death penalty, while just 43 percent support a
repeal.
March 16, 2013
March 12, 2013
In death penalty repeal, reason over revenge at
long last
Goucher Poll: Marylanders split on trust of
federal government
This Baltimore Sun column uses Goucher Poll
results to show how misinformed and conflicted
Marylanders are about the death penalty.
This Baltimore Magazine article shows the
Goucher College poll finds Marylanders
are split on whether they trust the federal
government to act in the public’s best interest.
Mileah Kromer, director of Goucher College’s
Sarah T. Hughes Field Politics Center, appeared
on Maryland Public Television’s “State Circle”
to discuss the most recent Goucher Poll results.
November 8, 2014
Majority of Marylanders still approve of job
being done by President Obama, poll finds
This Washington Post article uses the Goucher
Poll results to demonstrate that President
Obama still has a strong approval rating in
Maryland, despite that number falling in the rest
of the country.
4 - Newsletter of the Sarah T. Hughes Field Politics Center
Maryland Park Service Collaboration
By Jonathan Jayes-Green ’14
I
admit it: I have always liked school, but I’ve
never been able to fully explain why. All
throughout high school I remember being
in classes with students who constantly
complained they would never be able to use
what they were learning in class later on in
the real word. “Why does this even matter?”
they grumbled as they continued to protest
homework assignments and I stood silent
completing mine.
Finally, I have a concrete example to show
them how the material learned in school can
have significant ramifications in a community.
Last semester, I took PSC 233, State and
Local Government, with Dr. Kromer, mainly
because I was hoping we would spend all
semester talking about the great state of
Maryland. Instead, I was exposed to a vast
level of material covering the structure of state
governments across the country, as well as
some of the major stakeholders and issues that
arise in such a system.
The culmination of the course was to design,
implement, and analyze a report gauging
Marylanders’ opinions about state parks. To
do so, we worked closely with the Maryland
Park Service to determine how our talents
and ability to gather relevant public statewide
opinion data could best serve the agency’s
interest. Our aim was to provide the Park
Service with polling data that would help it
organize and transform the services it offers to
truly meet the need of Marylanders.
After meeting with the Maryland Park Service
superintendent, we concluded that the best use
of polling data would be to better understand
Marylanders’ park visitations, goals for state
parks, and barriers to future visitation.
Some of the conclusions we drew from the poll
are that nearly 70 percent of the population
has visited a state park, and they rate their
experiences as excellent and are interested
in visiting again. In addition, hiking and
visiting historic sites are the top two activities
Marylanders engage in while at the parks
across all age groups. The third activity varies
by age group, with those older than age 35
choosing fishing and those younger than age
35 choosing canoeing or kayaking.
Additionally, this survey showed that
Marylanders believed state parks should
preserve historic sites, improve natural
areas, and conserve land. In other words,
Marylanders are satisfied with the direction
the state parks are going and want them to
continue improving what they already have.
All in all, what this project was meant to do
was more than just teach us how to write solid
survey questions to be included in a statewide
poll and then write a report and present it to
the board of the Maryland Park Service. The
point of this project was to truly understand
the ramifications of research in public policy.
Through gauging citizens’ perspectives on
state parks, we were able to help the board
shape the future of the agency to truly fulfill
its purpose of serving Marylanders.
Doing this project was rewarding for me
because I was able to take the skills learned
inside the classroom and apply them to my
community, or as students used to complain
growing up, “the real world.”
Bottom row from left: Penelope Durand ’15, Olivia Shestopal ’15, Jonathan Jayes-Green ’14, Andrew Huff ’14, and Camille Pappy ’15 make the trip to the Baltimore National Aquarium to present
the results of the parks survey to the superintendent of the Maryland Parks Service, Nita Settina, and her senior staff.
5
Model United States Senate
By Dana Kayser ’13
T
he Sarah T. Hughes Field Politics
Center funds Goucher’s participation
in the Model United States Senate.
Last March 14 to 16, under the
supervision of Nina Kasniunas, assistant
professor of American politics, students
traveled to Stetson University in Deland, FL,
to represent Goucher College at the 42nd
Annual Model U.S. Senate.
The trip was a success, with Elana Perilstein
’15 receiving an honorable mention for Best
Senator and Dana Kayser ’13 being recognized
for role as Assistant Minority Leader.
Students of Goucher College’s Department of
Political Science and International Relations
have been attending the national Floyd M.
Riddick Model Senate conference at Stetson
University for the past four years. Last year
was a particular triumph because out of
the three Goucher students in attendance,
two of them—Perilstein and Kayser—won
recognition for their work as senators Barbara
Mikulski (D-MD) and John Cornyn (R-Texas),
respectively.
Perilstein, co-president of Goucher’s Model
Senate Club, said, “Model Senate is a
terrifically engaging learning experience.
Roleplaying United States senators in
real committees with important bills and
legislation, and debating them on the senate
floor, has taught me great teamwork, as well as
debating skills!”
The club, which had enjoyed immense
popularity at Goucher in the ’90s, is seeing
a renaissance under new student leadership.
Student interest has been sparked by the
chance to participate in the conference at
Stetson and in a program, now in its third
year, for local high school students to come
to Goucher to participate in a one-day
event in which they learn about the Senate,
parliamentary procedure, and the legislative
process. The high school students also get a
chance to act as senators and consider real
pieces of legislation in committee and on the
floor.
Goucher student Micah Connor ’16
participated in the conference in 2011 as a
senior in high school and is now a student at
Goucher College majoring in history. Vice
president of the club Danny Hertzberg is in
charge of the high school conference and is
excited about this year’s upcoming event.
“Every year we get more students interested
and more returning,” he said. “Preparations
for the third annual Goucher College Model
Senate are already under way, and we hope
that this year will be even more successful
than last year’s.”
Though the club is still in its formative years,
club president and co-(re-)founder Kayser
is confident Model Senate will continue its
important work in terms of civic engagement
and education, not just for Goucher students,
but also for community members, long after
senior members of the club graduate.
Top: The 2013 Model Senate program attracted high school
students from Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and even
Pennsylvania. Goucher students worked alongside these
students, teaching and coaching them throughout the day.
Bottom: Elana Perilstein ’15 asks a question to former
Senator Bob Graham (D-FL) during the Model Senate meeting
at Stetson University.
6 - Newsletter of the Sarah T. Hughes Field Politics Center
Summer Internship Spotlight: Practical Politics
By Olivia Shestopal ’15
L
ast summer, I had the incredible
opportunity to intern at the Democratic
National Committee in Washington,
DC. The experience was truly that
of a lifetime. I was placed in the Association
of State Democratic Chairs (ASDC), a
department that deals with all state parties
across the country, as well as in all seven
U.S. territories. Because the department is so
small, I was able to work very closely with my
supervisors and form lasting connections and
friendships with them.
Though I had the opportunity to co-author
several briefs and memos, the most exciting
part of the summer was discovering my love
of scheduling and advance work. Throughout
the summer, I scheduled trips to 50 state
parties within two months, in addition to
coordinating various meetings and conferences
in the DC area. I also assisted the ASDC in
implementing a digital media program, which
resulted in a more than 3,000% growth in its
social media following.
The entire experience was more than I could
have asked for. I am now more determined
than ever to pursue a career in politics, and I
have connected with so many amazing people
who will be able to help me achieve that goal.
Olivia Shestopal ’15, right, with Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL), chair of the Democratic National Committee
By Jen Pelizza ’15
T
his past summer, I interned at
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree’s
office in Maine’s first district. I spent
the majority of my time completing
special tasks such as compiling an office
booklet about the Affordable Care Act, writing
Eagle Scout accomplishment letters, and
writing statements based on local important
events for the Congressional Record.
I also had the opportunity to attend events
on the behalf of the congresswoman, such as
the Muskie Dinner and the Maine Women’s
Leadership Luncheon. These events were
not only fun to attend, they also allowed me
to network with a lot of political figures and
community leaders. Overall, this internship
prepared me to work in a fast-paced
congressional setting and introduced me to the
basics of government-based work.
Jen Pelizza ’15 with Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (ME-1)
7
Newsletter Of The
SARAH T. HUGHES
FIELD POLITICS CENTER
Spring 2014
Our Mission
The Sarah T. Hughes Center conducts the
Goucher Poll, which surveys citizens across
Maryland on the most important political,
social, and economic issues of the day.
In addition to the Goucher Poll, the Sarah
T. Hughes Center sponsors an internship
program that places students in a variety of
governmental and political settings at the
local, state, and national level. To support
undergraduate research and professional
growth, the center helps Goucher students
secure resources to attend conferences,
lectures, and other professional meetings. The center also sponsors a variety of
programming and a speaker series to bring
diverse political figures to campus.
1021 Dulaney Valley Road
Baltimore, MD 21204
involvement in governmental and political
affairs.
14349-3/14
Funded by an endowment made by the
late Judge Sarah T. Hughes ’17, the Sarah T.
Hughes Field Politics Center originally was
founded at Goucher College in the early
1950s under a grant from the Maurice and
Laura Falk Foundation. The center, directed
by Mileah Kromer, assistant professor in the
Department of Political Science and
International Relations, sponsors a variety of
activities designed to facilitate student